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Battle analysis gettysburg
Strategies of the american civil war
Battle analysis gettysburg
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There were more casualties in the battle of Gettysburg than in any other battles fought during the Civil War. Not all of the men lost were result of the enemy. The battle of Gettysburg was fought over a three-day period, from July 1, 1863-July 3, 1863.
On June 30, 1863 a Confederate Commander led his troops toward Gettysburg, but quickly retreated when he spotted a group of Federal Calvary headed into town. The Commander informed his superiors and stated that he would return the next day to get the shoes and other supplies that they needed. On July 1, 1863 the Confederates headed out again in search for shoes. However, they did not know if the Federal Calvary was still around so they took caution and two brigades were sent to gather the supplies. The Confederates crossed paths with the Federal Calvary just west of the town of Gettysburg at Willoughby Run. It is here that the battle began. Around 7:30 am the first shots were fired and the battle broke out. The Federal was pushed back into Gettysburg where they regrouped on higher ground near the cemetery.
Meanwhile, General Robert E. Lee was left without his eyes and ears while his Calvary, led by Jeb Stuart was off on a wild goose chase. General Lee got a little too cocky; he believed his army was invincible. He led his army, without Stuart and his Calvary, to the southern side of Cemetery Ridge where he believed it to be less well defended. On day two of the attack at Gettysburg, General Lee instructed to General Longstreet to attack, but this command was delayed for a few hours, giving the Union time to reinforce their numbers and strengthen their position. When Longstreet did finally attack, the battles were nastiest at Little Round Top, the Peach Orchard, the Wheat F...
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...and all she could hear among the men were the agonizing cries of the wounded and the dying.
Works Cited
American Civil War Battle. Gettysburg Pennsylvania, July 1-3 1863. http://americancivilwar.com/getty.html (accessed April 17, 2011).
"The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863." EyeWitness to History. www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (1997) (Accessed April 17, 2011)
“The History Place.” Battle of Gettysburg. http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/battle.htm (accessed April 17, 2011).
The Price In Blood. “Casualties in the Civil War”. http://www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm (Accessed April 17, 2011).
Timeline of the American Civil War. “The American Civil War”. http://www.mce.k12tn.net/civil_war/timeline_of_the_american_civil_w.htm (Accessed April 18, 2011).
Trudeau, Noah Andre. Gettysburg A Testing of Courage. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 2002. Page 268.
Both Armies repositioned their artillery to the most advantageous position but it appeared that the Army of Northern Virginia had surrounded the Army of the Potomac but in a less defensible position. When two Armies meet on a battlefield the overall objective is to eliminate the opposition, so one of them would have to make a move. Lee ordered Generals Longstreet and Ewell to attack but due to a lack of decisive action on Longstreet’s part, the day would end in the bloodiest offensive of the battle and Longstreet would suffer great losses by Cemetery Hill .
Once there the Union formed a strong defensive position that resembled that of a fishhook, with Culp's Hill and the two Round Tops anchoring each end. After reinforcements had arrived the Union position was three miles long. Meanwhile, the Confederate troops occupied Gettysburg and Seminary Ridge to the west. Lee did not dig his army in a defensive position at all. He believed that his own army was invincible, even though they were without out their cavalry, which was off somewhere harassing other Union soldier, but on the first day of battle, the confederates are victorious
Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Sculley Bradley, Richard Beatty, and E. Hudson Long Eds. New York: W.W. Norton, 1962.
While many variables are vital to a successful army on the battlefield, none should be neglected. Each variable discussed in this examination will prove to be important, but the information battle will be paramount in the battle of Gettysburg. Gettysburg After the Confederate victory at Chancellorsville in May of 1863, General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia embarked on their 2nd invasion of the north. General Lee’s first campaign into the north resulted in the Confederate defeat at Antietam. The failure of Lee’s first northern campaign raises the question of his motives.
In The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara fictionally illustrates the historical facts of the battle at Gettysburg. Shaara gives action and words to characters of another time, and then places these players on the stage of this great battle. Through the use of powerful biblical and non-biblical imagery and themes the epic nature of the battle at Gettysburg and its characters are enhanced. Such imagery and themes, combined with Shaara's fictionalization, help to contribute to why this single battle holds such monumental significance and influence upon the lives of Americans over a century removed from its occurrence.
One of the best commanders in the Confederate army was Lee still; the Union stood at a better standpoint during the battle. “Perhaps the most significant lesson from July 3, 1863, concerns the method of decision-making. Though he may not have seen it as such, Lee’s decision to attack was at best a close call.” (Gompert 2006, pg.7). The battle of Gettysburg did not happen intentionally, planned however Lee did an astounding job and his best to defeat the Union army. Ultimately Robert E. Lee was responsible for the South’s loss
The famous Battle of Gettysburg was a major part of the Civil War. Before the Battle of Gettysburg, the Confederate army had the advantage. Although the casualty tolls of both armies were relatively close in numbers, the North and the South’s attitudes towards the war completely differed after the Battle of Gettysburg. The events occurring in the months following the historic battle were what gave the Union Troops the greatest advantage leading to their victory at the end of the Civil War.
O’Brien, Tim. “How To Tell a True War Story.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2003. p. 420-429.
...equal, the Battle of Gettysburg was the second and last great invasion the of the North, for the South had neither arms nor numbers to continue an assault, but the War dragged on for two more years.
Tapper, J. (2012). The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor. New York: Little, Brown. Retrieved November 05, 2010, from books.google.co.ke/books?isbn=0316215856
This statement absolutely applies to all the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg. Both the Union and Confederate soldiers were symbolic as killer angels, people who fought for what they believed was right, even if that meant killing other soldiers. The people who were fighting were citizens of the same nation, sometimes brother against brother. Tom Chamberlain and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain were an exception to this. These brothers were both fighting on the Union Army. Sometimes soldiers fought people who they were formerly friends with. Ultimately, the war turned the two sides of the nation against each other. This led to the mass destruction and killing of our nation’s population. Each soldier was a killer angel in his own way in which he fought and carried on through one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
Both forces were moving towards Pennsylvania, when they converged upon Gettysburg. General Lee decided to take the fighting to Northern soil, and moved his troops to Maryland. While heading north, the two forces converged at Gettysburg, and the fighting began soon thereafter. After news of the fighting, General Meade arrived on the battlefield on the second day of battle..
Leahy, Stephen M. "The Historical Battle over Dispatching American Troops." USA Today (Farmingdale). July 1999: 10-12. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 May. 2014.
51,103 casualties, one of the bloodiest wars of the civil war, this was the battle that would change the course of the civil war. The Battle of Gettysburg. It had been three years since April 12, 1861, the year the civil war started. The disagreement between the southern and northern states had begun this war and there was nothing the people could do about it. Northern states which would become the union wanted to abolish slavery, but the southern states, which would become the confederates didn’t . The Confederate had been doing well in the war because of all their winnings, but this battle would change all of it. General Robert E. Lee (confederate) had won most battles, including the chancellorsville battle in VA, the battle before this one (background essay). He felt confident, so he decided to attack on Union soil, also known as the northern states, and unfortunately for Lee luck was no longer on his side. This was the turning point of the civil war and it came with a lot of surprises both for the Union and Confederate. From casualties to leadership and hope to geography all this affected the war a lot and changed the path the civil war.
Beardsley, Frank. "American History: The American Civil War: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (VOA Special English 2005-04-20)." Interesting Things for ESL/EFL Students (Fun English Study). Www.manythings.org. Web. 12 June 2011. .